Page 29 of Lessons in Desire

Tears leak from my eyes. “And I you.” I press my lips against his.

“Say it again.” He demands, thrusting harder.

“I love you.” I gasp.

“Again.”

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” I cry out as his thrusts drag me to the edge, every touch a brand. His hand reaches between us, immediately finding my clit, and then I’m falling.

I’m falling and falling and falling into nothingness, his touch my guiding light. I scream with the force of my orgasm, my pussy pulsing wildly as he thrusts one last time, his pulsing cock filling me up, until all I know is him.

Chapter Seventeen

Evelyn

New Orleans is like another world.

Skipping off the bus, I try to take it all in; the smell, the sights, the sounds but my senses are swimming in a lake that’s much too fast. Bouncing on my feet, I grin up at Asher whose waiting for the rest of the class of Freshman students to make their way off the bus.

Today is the day of the art gallery visit. Asher’s gallery specialises on a different art style, subject, or artist every couple of months and today we’re here to see Art on the Outside.

After leading the class inside, Asher pauses in the entrance hall. “You’re free to look at whatever you want, for as long as you want, as long as you have a focus by the end of the day. I expect you to write a paper on your chosen work that details where the history of art can be found within it.”

The students scatter, heading in different directions.

“I am so excited for this.” I bounce. I feel like I’ve been filled with bees and the only way to get rid of them is to see everything. “Where should we start?”

“Wherever your heart wants to.” He smiles, his eyes soft with love.

It’s been a few days since thanksgiving, and we’ve easily fallen into a routine. I go to class, he goes to class, we meet at his later in the day. Bree knows something is up, but I think she assumes I’m staying at Jake’s.

Guilt sears through me at the thought of Bree. It’s not that I want to lie to her but I’m not ready to tell her yet. Asher and I may have finally sorted our shit out in terms of what we want, but what we are together with our situation being what it is, is still complicated.

Walking through room after room, with Asher by my side, I take it all in. Asher is amazing at his job; you can really feel the expertise in his choices and how each of them blend with each other seamlessly without ever losing their individuality.

I stop in front of a portrait. An old man is captured within his weathered, brown face smiling as a world of colour surrounds him – a swirling, beautiful New Orleans.

“I’ve never been here before.” I say into the silence.

“To New Orleans?”

I nod. “I always wanted to go. To experience the colours and the music and the food. I can’t believe I’m finally here.”

“It’s a wonderful city.”

I look to him. “Is your farmhouse near the city?”

“Just an hour drive away. I love everything about this place, but I also like the peace of the outskirts.” I nod, agreeing with the sentiment and look into the painting again.

Asher’s hand rests at my back. “Can I show you something?”

I nod and allow him to steer me further into the gallery, my heart skipping at the sight of so much talent and then it drops into my stomach as I spy a familiar looking painting. Asher positions me in front of my skeletal girl, the painting from a few days ago and grins down at me. A shiny gold plague with the words A Breath of Hope stare back at me.

“You…” I trail off, not knowing what to say or think or feel. I know he said he was going to do it, but I didn’t expect he would do it so quickly.

“I hope you don’t mind that I named it, I wanted this to be a surprise, so I had it flown over the same day, and I was waiting until you got here to do this.” He slides a little card into the slot beside the painting, a little card with the words sold scrawled across it.

I gasp. “No fucking way.”

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